Our goal for children in fourth grade is to improve their working and study skills, which will enable them to continue on the road to becoming critical thinkers and learners, as well as responsible citizens. In addition, a focus for this year is the development of social skills and the enhancement of self-esteem.
Our goal in Language Arts is to foster a love of reading, increase facility with written expression, and strengthen your child's skills in verbal communication. We use a variety of strategies to meet the needs of all our students. They include individual and group activities.
Reading - At this level, using the Houghton Mifflin series, we emphasize comprehension and critical thinking skills. We take a balanced approach to teaching reading where basal readers are used in conjunction with literature.
Listening and Speaking - Throughout the school year students will participate in ongoing activities to develop listening and speaking skills.
Spelling -The Fourth Grade currently uses Houghton Mifflin's Spelling and Vocabulary as a spelling text. In addition, some of your child's new words may come from his/her own writing activities and our science and social studies program.
Written Expression – We will continue to develop the writing process skills. Types of writing will include informational, persuasive and narrative. Students will become familiar with the Pennsylvania Writing domain rubric which includes style, focus, content, organization and conventions.
In Mathematics classes we work with a variety of textbooks and supplemental materials. The Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley series will be used this year. The areas of concentration are whole number operations and place value, number theory, rational numbers, graphs, geometry, measurement and word problems. There will be additional enrichment activities to help your children increase their skills as problem solvers.
In our Social Studies classes, fourth graders will study geography skills and the history of the United States starting with first European settlements. The text we will use is Houghton Mifflin's Social Studies – U.S. History – Early Years.
In Science we will be studying Ecosystems, Electric Circuits, Food Chemistry, and Motion design this year. The District has adopted the National Science Resource Center's program, "Science and Technology for Children". We will have science 3 times during a 6-day cycle. This includes 2 labs and 1 classroom instruction.
In our Health curriculum we use Lifeskills, a program designed to deter alcohol and drug abuse through decision making and problem solving skills. Family Life is also a unit of study.
FLES - (Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools) - Twice a week students will have Spanish class. The classes will focus on the development of basic communication skills including listening, speaking, reading and writing. We will also develop a cultural awareness of the Spanish speaking world and the customs of the many countries. Whenever possible, ties will be made to the students existing curriculum in language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and applied technology.
HOMEWORK POLICY
Homework is a necessary part of the curriculum and vital to the learning process. It provides the necessary practice of skills and enriches upon classroom experience. Consistent homework completion fosters responsibility, independence and good study skills and work habits.
Parents can help by:
Providing an atmosphere conducive to study, including a quiet, well-lighted work place, ample space, and the necessary materials. Helping your child develop a satisfactory study schedule, which includes ample time to study regularly and complete long and short term assignments will ensure consistency. Encouraging reading at home on a regular basis will help solidify skills learned in the classroom.
